Abby.World

Steve Vranakis is Executive Creative Director at Google Creative Lab and was D&AD President 2017-2018. Here, he reflects on how the creative industry has responded to disruption and relentless change, since his presidency. 

If I were to say that a lot has happened in the almost five years since I was D&AD president, it would be deemed a gross understatement. A global pandemic, war in Europe, hyperinflation, an energy crisis, economic turmoil reeking havoc worldwide and a last-ditch effort to save the planet from impending doom. I need to actually stop and take this all in. I type these words with utter disbelief at the amount of change that has happened in such a short space of time. Change, as the old cliché states, is really the only constant, and we not only need to embrace it, but try to prepare ourselves for the uncertainty ahead. 

The creative industries have also seen their fair share of disruption. Once the poster child for collaboration and ideas whose impact went beyond just the brands they service, it was turned on its head during the past couple of years. Not because of ‘digital’ or the internet, but because those who were fortunate enough to work from home during the pandemic came to the quick realisation that ours is an industry not only based on people but people, being in close proximity to each other – at least for some of the time. This is how creative collisions occur, how sparks fly and sometimes even how magic happens.

During my presidency (that sounds so majestic), I made it my mission to ensure that individuals from diverse backgrounds were a priority for getting into the creative industries. Through initiatives like Shift we were able to welcome people who would face barriers to access this incredible world of creativity let alone find out about it. Even the Annual for the year was made up of two components: one to acknowledge the outstanding work of the year and the other, embedded as a removable piece of the cover, served as an introduction and instruction guide on how to get into the industry (The manual and the Annual). 

My manifesto titled “Some of the greatest creative minds might never get to create” was a rallying cry for us to open up and let in this new generation of thinkers from all walks of life, not only ensuring we have accurate and equitable representation but also the diversity of thinking to keep our industry fresh and alive. Again as I write all of this I reminisce on the incredible opportunity afforded to me and how grateful I was to represent this organisation.

So where are we today? Do I feel that the industry has made an honest attempt to right many of the inequities of the past? Yes!. Do I feel we still have a long way to go? Absolutely! So why am I so set on ensuring that creativity is something that all of us can access and express? Because creativity is the very thing that may give us a standing chance in tackling many of these Herculean challenges set out at the beginning of this piece.

The more people we bring together from as many different backgrounds, the more perspectives, innovative ideas and approaches that we’re able to put forward. Uniformity may be even more dangerous than complacency. But both are lacking  when you’re trying to come up with the world changing ideas that are required right now. Diversity of thought is what we desperately need stemming from as diverse a group of people as possible.

As a young boy growing up in Canada, to Greek immigrant parents from a working class background, I wasn’t able to find out about nor access this universe of creativity. If it hadn’t been for a series of flukes and accidents I wouldn’t be writing this, right now. There was a time when I used to think to myself, “I shouldn't be here right now,” but for a brief moment in time I was President of D&AD and I want to make sure that as many people from as diverse backgrounds as possible can also feel this thrill… and honour.